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Lived in Craig for 8 years growing up and as others have said it's probably the closest you're gonna get to the old west in Colorado. Browns Park in Western Moffat County was a haven for outlaws like Butch Cassidy in the late 1800s. Farming and ranching are huge in Northwestern Colorado. The Villard Ranch outside Craig was featured on an episode of Dirty Jobs. Mike Rowe got first-hand experience docking sheep and eating Rocky Mountain Oysters.

Hi folks. I live in Fort Collins and I am considering relocating somewhere more rural and agriculture-based in this state... namely a place with a dominant cowboy lifestyle.

I thought Northern Colorado would be that way when I moved here (and was years ago I am told), but is turning out to be ever more urban in life, work and culture. I really need some place that identifies with the cowboy/traditional western lifestyle. Fort Collins is a wonderful city with tremendous assets indeed, however it simply does not fit, to the degree, the life that we want.

I desire to live and work in the cowboy/western/ag/ranching/ lifestyle and environment. I grew up in an agriculture-based area and have had some experience with horses and livestock. I want to learn more and live where those traditions, lifestyles, and values are an integral part of life.

I have looked up and down the Front Range and though some of these areas partly embrace that lifestyle, I have not seen anything that is as purist as I desire.

I am financially sustained at this time and have the ability to relocate, then look for work later. I have considered moving out of state to Wyoming, Montana and Idaho several times but have not been able to. My family likes it here as do I and would like to find a place more suitable. We prefer close proximity to the Rockies and would gladly live in them if there was the right community for my needs. Meaning, Eastern Colorado may suite this lifestyle, but if there were places in or near the Rockies (North, South, East or West) that would be preferable.

Thanks for your time. Feel free to ask questions.

The reality is that Eastern Colorado may well be what you are looking for. Why else would La Junta be the 2nd largest cattle market west of Oklahoma City with our 2 sale barns? Our 2 sale barns (La Junta Livestock and Winter Livestock) are two of the oldest and most respected in the Western US. They are predominately fed by cattle from working ranches in Eastern Colorado, but also bring in cattle from Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming on a regular basis.

There are numerous great little towns, and granted some are closer to the mountains than others, but they are all based around the " rural and agriculture-based" lifestyle you are looking for.

There is definitely a cowboy culture throughout the state, though it is especially prevalent on the western slope and parts of the eastern plains (though that is more of a "farmer culture"). The whole cowboy culture is, as you might imagine, more tempered in the cities, and more pronounced in the rural areas, but it's there pretty much throughout the state. Even Denver's biggest annual event is the National Western Stock Show, and there's a reason the local football team is the "Broncos."

Lived in Craig for 8 years growing up and as others have said it's probably the closest you're gonna get to the old west in Colorado. Browns Park in Western Moffat County was a haven for outlaws like Butch Cassidy in the late 1800s. Farming and ranching are huge in Northwestern Colorado. The Villard Ranch outside Craig was featured on an episode of Dirty Jobs. Mike Rowe got first-hand experience docking sheep and eating Rocky Mountain Oysters.

Harry Longabaugh (Sundance) moved to Durango as a teen and then to Cortez where he fell in with Butch and some other shady characters.

Thanks for all the replies thus far! It seems resounded most commonly is the western slope area especially Craig, and down by Montrose and Delta. So I am looking into those places.

Also, a few have mentioned South-Eastern plains. I have looked into that area and it seems extremely promising for that lifestyle however, we really wanted to stay near the mountains, after all thats one of the reasons that we moved to the area from the Midwest. Lots of western lifestyle, ranching, rodeos etc in Southern-Missouri/Kansas/Oklahoma, but we really desired to live near the mountains again. I have loved the mountains and woods since I was a kid. But, La Junta area seems to be about an hour and a half from the range or so. Definitely are giving it consideration.

If you really want to ranch, move to OK, it is probably cheaper yet. I ranch and I want to move to either Northern NM or Southern Co not to ranch anymore but still would like being around the ranching communities and big mountains.

While you mentioned you wanted to stay in Colorado if possible, you should also consider Montana and Idaho. Both have mountains and a predominately ranching/western culture.

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